Short-stem-kilq-maize header



Nov. 22, 1927. v 1,650,521

w. B. JOHNSON SHORT-:STEM MLO MAIZE HEADER WITNESS:

Nov. 22, 192 7.

Y 1,650,521 W. B. JOHNSON SHORT STEM MILo MALZE HEADER Filed Jan. 14. 19

5 Sheets-Sheet 3 WITNESS ATTORNEY Nov. 22, 1927. 1,650,521

w. B. JroHNsoN SHORT STEM HILO MAIZE HEADER Filed Jan. 14, 1924 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR ATTORNEY WITNESS:

Nov. 22, 1927. 1,650,521

w. B. JOHNSON suonT STEM MIL() MAME HEADER NVENTOR ATTORNEY WITNESS:

Patented Nov. 232, 192W UNITED STATES ism WARREN '.B. JGHNSQN, 0F LGRENZO, TEXAS.

SHORT-STEVI-EILO-IVIAIZE HEADER.

.Application filed January 14, 132/# The general object oi my said invention is the provision ot an apparatus adapted to eiiiciently take the heads oil milo maine and the like without removing more oi the stems than is the case when the'milo maize and analogous crops are headed by hand.

To the attainment oi the foregoing, the invention consists in the improvement as hereafter described and definitely claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, 'forming part ot this speeiiication:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the apparatus constituting the preferred embodiment of my invention `and showing the trough thereof in section.

Figure 2 is an elevation of the lett-hand side of the apparatus.

Figure 3 is longitudinal vertical section ot the apparatus taken in the plane indicated by the line 3-3 of Figure 1. i I

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on line l-1 of Figure 1 and shows the wheels oi'` the apparatus in dot and dash lines.

Figure 5 is a top plan view with parts shown in horizontal section and parts removed.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary sectional view illustrative ofthe mode of operation ot the rollers and lingered chain with respect to a stalk of grain.

` Figure 7 is a detail view showing one of the bearings for the idle roller.

Figure 8 is 'a' similar view taken at right angles to Figure 7 and showing a fragmentary portion of the idle roller.

Figure 9 is a sectional view taken approximately on line 9-9 `of Figure 2 and illus-- trating the position taken ot a stalk upon entering the trough.

Figure 10 is a sectional view taken on line 10--10 of Figure 2 and showing the position of the stalk when operated upon by the rollers.

Figure 1l is a sectional view taken on line 11`-11ot` Figure 2 vand showing the position of the Lstalk with respect to the circular saw and just previous of severing the head thereyfrom.

Figure 12 is a detail top plan view illus' trating the position of the saw with relation to the end of the trough.

Figure 13 is a sectional view taken on line 13-13 ot' Figure 12.

Figure 14: is a sectional view taken on line 111-14 of Figure 15.

Figure 15 Vis a detail side elevation with Serial No. 686,155.

ciently headl the crops indicated even when the stems thereof are bent,y distorted or are of irregular growtln and is calculated in all cases to out short stems and reduce the waste of grain to a minimum. I would also have it understood that my novel apparatus is adapted to be adequately operated by one 'man and may be easily drawn by two draft animals.

Among other elements the apparatus comi prises a main frame 1. The said main trarne may be 'of the general construction illustrated o11T of any other construction compatible with the purpose of my invention without involving departure :trom the scope of the same as claimed. `as illustrated the main frame 1 is supported by two wheels Zand 3, the wheel 3 being adjustable and capable ofV being adjustably iXed with respecttothe i'rame'l in the manner common toone .row'corn harvesters. At 4 a drivers seat is mounted on the trame l, and carried by said `frame 1 at the rear lend thereof is a. receptacle 5- i'or grain,-i. e., milo maize heads, said receptacle having a rearwardly and downwardly pitched bottom 6, and Aalso having a swingable rear wall 7 hinged at 8 and adapted to be opened and closed through the medium of' a hand lever 9. See dotted and full lines in Figure 2. Mani- 'estly when the wall or door 7 is opened by the operator the grain collected in the receptacle 5 will vbe discharged therefrom to the ground and deposited in a pile thereon.`

The organized mechanism ofthe apparatus includes an appropriately mounted endless chain 10 arranged as shown relative to a trough through which the stalks pass. Said trough is formed by a side 11 and a side 12, which is adjustable laterally to increase or diminish the width of the passage between the sid-es and for this purpose I have provided slotted members 11 fixed to the side Cil lil

12 and adjustably secured to uprights 12 in the manner as suggested in Figure 14 of the drawings. The side 11 serves as a guide for the chain 10 and functions to take the chain 10 from the plane of the sprocket wheel 13, which drives the chain 10, and deliver it to th-e plane of an idler sprocket wheel 10X. The function of the endless chain l()k is to slide the stalks up the passage of the trough. Every other link of the chain 10 is a finger link 10a, and obviously l may employ as many finger links of proper' size in the chain as are necessary to slide the stalks upwardly and rearwardly through the passage of the` trough, the trough being inclined as illust ated ln association with the endless chain 10 l employ an endless chain 14. This chain let serves to prevent lagging of the lower portions of the stalks. lt is mounted on a sprocket wheel 15, and is driven by a sprocket wheel 16. Combined with the sides of the trough described are outwardly flared guards 17 and 18. rlhese guards serve to guide heads on crooked* stems down into the trough after the manner shown in Figures 9, 10 and 11, the grain head in said figures being designated by 19 and the stem by 20.

Associated with the trough and the two endless chains alluded to is an inclined driven roller 21 relatively arranged as shown and equipped with a pulley 21X. This roller 21 is ydesigned to exert a downward and forward pressure on the stalks as they traverse the passage of the' trough, and it is characterized by strips 22 ofV flexible fabric attached to its surface and as shown. The flexible strips 22, within thepurview of my invention, may be of any material yand of any shape to enable the driven roller 21 to perform the function ascribed toit. A t 23 is an inclined idler roller which ,affords a shoulder against which the roller 21 works. rElie roller 21 and the roller 23 are. each provided with a shaft 21 extending therethrough in a manner to provide projecting ends. rlie forward ends of the shafts 21 are mounted in bearings 22 carried by brackets including uprights 23 and base portions 211 adjustably secured to the frame in the manner as suggested in Figure G of the drawings. The opposite end of the shaft for the roller 23 is mounted in an adjustable bearing 25 as best shown in Figures 7 and 8. By this construction, it will be obvious that the rollers can be adjusted with respect to each other for varying the space between the saine. Said roller 23 `turns only when there is sufficient friction between it and the down wardly passing stalks. Located in front of the passage in the trough are forwardly divergent guides made up, by, preference, of points 211, bars 25 by which the points are carrie-d, and lingers-26, Figures 1-5.

The reference numerals 26, 2Ga are spaced sheet metal strips arranged upon opposite sit es of the passage as best shown in Figure 1 and designed to guide the heads into the receptacle 5, and 27 is a circular saw having the front sides of its teeth sharpened, and designed to cut the heads oli' the stalks or stems. The said saw 27 is designed to be readily raised and lowered to suit different conditions.

Motion is taken from the ground wheel 3,

to drive the working parts described, the several driving connections being of the construction clearly illustrated or of any other construction compatible with the purpose of iny invention. A

As illustrated a longitudinal shaft- 2?" is mounted in the main frame. Said vshaft is provided with a pulley 2S, connected by a belt 29 withu the-pulley 21X ou the roller-21. lrlounted in the main fram-e and disposed at right angles to the shaft 27 is a shaft 30 that is connected with and driven by the shaft of the wheel l in the manner well known in single row corn harvesters. Miter gears 31 and 32 connect the shafts 30 and 27k; and it will also be noted that the shaft 30 isconn nected by miter gears 38 and 34, Figures 3 and 5, with the shaft 85 that carries the rotary saw 27. A shaft 3G that carries sprocket gears complementary to the endless chains described is connected to the shaft 30 by miter gears 37 and 38, Figure 4l.

rlhe relative arrangement of the driven roller and the idler roller to each other and to the other parts of the apparatus is clearly shownvin `Figure 6, and by reference to said Figure 6 it will be ascertained that theflexible strips 22 on the driven roller 21 wipe past the side of the idler roller 23 and by so doing deflect the stems or stalks and move the latter downwardly.

The operation of my novel apparat-us will be understood when it is stated that incident to the traverse of the apparatus along a row, stalks enter the apparatus along the dotted line a2 in Figure 1, between the divergent guides described, and are conducted to the point where they are caught by the lingers of the endless chain 10, and are moved thbref by longitudinally of the passage in the trough. rit the point Li() the stalks are cut by an appropriate cutting devi'cc coi'nparatively low and are detached from the ground. rlhe lower portions of the severed stalks then enter between the idler roller 23 and the driven, strip-bearing roller 21 where suliicient downward pressure is exerted on the stalk, Figure G, to draw the stalks but not the heads downwardly through the passage of the trough. At the point shown in Figure 10 the heads are in the trough and the stalks are below the trough. Here the rotary saw 27 cuts the heads from the stalks, whereupon the heads drop upon said saw and are thrown by centrifugal action into the receptacle 5. rlhe stairs from which the heads have been lit) cut asstated are thrown out of the apparatus by the endless chain lll and by a supplemental endless chain lll-X equipped with linger links and deriving motion from a 1 sprocket wheel 149.

Having described my invention, what l claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. A short stein heading,- apparatus of the character described comprising an inclined trough including` sides and a bottom which is formed with a longitudinal passage, said trough being` provided with outwardly flared ends at its lower end, divergent bars extending troni the flared ends, points secured to the outer end ot said guards. lingers gn'ojecting; inwardly 'troni said points tor guiding stalks to said passageI` means for moving the stalks rearwardly in said passage, nieans for severing the stalks adjacent the ground, means below the trough tordrawing severed stalks downwardly through said passage incident to the rear` ward movement ot said stalks in said passage and said last mentioned means formed by longitudinally extending` inclined spaced rollers mounted for adjustment with respect to each other, flexible fabric strips secured in spiral formation to one of said rollers, a pulley on the last mentioned roller, means trained about said pulley tor operating'the ycharacter described Vcomprising,- a wheeled traine, a trough carried by said wheeledV traine and including sides and a bottom which is provided with a longitudinally d1s posed passage, outwardly flared guards secured to and rising from said sides, cutting means mounted for movement across the passage adjacent the lower end ot said trough, spaced parallel inclined rollers, brackets adjustably secured to said frame, uprights included in said brackets, bearings secured to said uprights and receiving the rollers, a pulley 'termed with one et' said rollers, means trained about said pulley for rotating the saine, 'flexible strips' secured to the last nien tioned roller and being arranged in spiral formation thereon, said strips being adapted to engage the other of said rollers for rotating the same, a circular saw mounted tor vertical adjustment and disposed adjacent the upper end of the trough, a receptacle carried by the frame laterally and rearwardly of the saw, and sheet metal strips ei:- tending; from the upper ends or' the' guards as and for the purpose specilied.

ln testimony whereof l atliX my signature.

WARREN B. JOHNSON. 

